Divergent FanFic
by heyitsme1234567
Summary: Tris's brother (Caleb) has been killed, and she thinks Tobias did it because he told her. But was that really him who was speaking? And why has Christina been having conversations with Marcus? Read on... It is only rated "T" because there wasn't an option for 11 and 12 year olds...it is not very horrible, but I wouldn't suggest it to 8 and 9 year olds :)
1. Chapter 1

Ghapter One

'Wait…what?' a wave of nausea washes over me. I gulp, swallowing the lump in my throat. Tobias is shifting his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes searching my face as though I am hiding something. As though _I _am hiding something?

'I said it was me,' he says. His voice is barely audible, not even a whisper. I breathe out a long, shaky breath. And then anger builds up inside me, boiling over. I scream, kicking the wall behind him. Tears spring to my eyes, but I blink them away.

'Now you tell me?' I say, backing away. '_NOW?_'

'It's not like you told _me _anything as serious – what about Will?! How long did that take you to tell me? And not even under your own will, under the truth serum!'

I snort.

'As though you understand. I could actually control what I was saying under that stuff,'

'Yeah because you're so amazing,' Tobias's voice was so thick with sarcasm it hit me like a bullet to the head.

'But this isn't a friend. This is family, Tobias,'

'It doesn't _mean anything!_'

'What did you say?' I spit, my voice riddled with hatred. I spoke quietly. Coldly. '_What did you say? _It doesn't MEAN ANYTHING?!' I scream. I don't hold the tears in anymore; I can't.

'It's not like you were very close to him,'

I don't reply, regarding him with a look I hope is full of loathing. He shakes his head, and backs out of the room, banging the door shut behind him. I collapse onto my bed, sobbing until I have no tears left. Someone knocks gently on the door, and I tug the duvet over my head.

'Tris?' says a quiet voice. Christina. 'Tris, I'm sorry…but I have to come in. I have something to tell you,'

Her voice is calm but slightly urgent, and I throw the covers off me as the door opens and she walks in.

Christina's hair is clipped back at the side, a bit like the way Erudite girls do, except the expression on her face and the tattoo on her arm suggest otherwise. She sits on the end of my bed, her eyes sad and the corners of her mouth tugged down.

'I'm so sorry about…what happened,'

I try to smile, but end up grimacing instead. She reaches out and clasps one of my hands into hers. Looking around, she smiles faintly.

'I remember this room…some good memories…and some err…worse ones,'

I look at the ceiling, but my eyes seem to make a beeline for Edward's old bed. I try not to remember what happened to him during initiation. Christina follows my vision and looks at me quickly again, squeezing her eyes tight shut.

'If he ever came back into this room…' she mutters, and shakes her head as though ridding herself of the thoughts.

'What did you come in to say?' I ask, my voice slightly husky and low.

'It's just…well, I know it's been mad over the last week, especially for you and, well what I'm saying is that…I know who killed your brother, and it wasn't Four – sorry, I mean Tobias,'

'What?' I sit up, frowning.

'It's hard to explain. You need to come to the Erudite compound – now,'

I nod slowly.

'Okay,'

'Meet me in the canteen in ten minutes?'

'Sure,'

She leaves, and I reach over to the chest of drawers by my bed, pulling out a black top, a black hoody and a pair of dark jeans. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I zip the hoody half way up and leave my hair tumbling over my shoulder. The top is low cut, revealing the three birds I have tattooed on my collarbone. I turn away and stride out of the room, turning two lefts and then a right to get to the canteen. Christina is sitting with Uriah and Zeke, who turns and beckons me over. I slump down beside him, looking over my shoulder at Tobias, who has his palm pressed to a small girl's forehead. A wave of hatred fills in my brain. His eyebrows are tugged together in a frown, and the girl looks very pale. I turn back to Christina, and lower my voice.

'When are we going?'

'We can go in about ten minutes,'

'What are you going to do?' asks Uriah, his eyes wide with curiosity.

'We're going to Amity,' says Christina.

'Why?'

'To visit…err…'

'An old friend,' I intervene, and Christina looks at me with grateful eyes. Uriah nods, losing interest.

'I need to go to the bathroom,' he says, standing up and walking out of the canteen. Zeke watches him walk away, and turns to us again.

'You really expected us to believe that?'

'Uriah did,' I say, pointedly.

'Yeah, but he doesn't count – he's Uriah,'

I can't help but laugh at that.

'So come on. Tell me. Where are you actually going?'

I sigh.

'To the Erudite,'

'Why? That place has been burned down,'

'I know,'

'So…'

'We just want to go,' Christina says, flatly. I nod, and take a cake crumb from her plate. She stuffs the rest of it in her mouth before I can take any more.

'Can I come?' he asks.

'Uh…'

'Okay,' says Christina. I shrug.

'I don't even know what we're actually doing there,' I admit, and Christina smiles sadly.

'You'll see.'


	2. Chapter 2

Two

The fierce wind slaps my face, whipping through my hair. My eyes start to water, and I zip up the jacket I borrowed from Dauntless up to my throat. The Erudite compound starts to get larger and larger. All the Erudite innocents had built a building just beside it, and had buried all of the innocents who had been killed in the attack in a graveyard beside their new home.

Christina knocks on the door of the building, and a small girl answers it, with long chocolate brown hair tied back in a severe bun at the base of her scalp, and large glasses propped on her button nose.

'Hi…uh…we'd like to see your leader, please,' says Christina. The girl looks suspicious, and steps back slowly.

'Why are you here?' she asks. A man has appeared just behind her now. His expression is bland, though his eyes look curious.

'We just need to show my friend something. It means a lot to her, and, well…quite a few other people in Dauntless, too,'

'I'll take you. He currently lives in the back of the house,' the Erudite man pushes the girl gently to the side to let us through, and I smile at her on my way. She smiles faintly in reply.

The walls of this new building are all white, and we are lead passes dozens of rooms with doors marked things like _Construction Room_ and _Science laboratory_. Christina is looking at them too, and I catch her eye. She grins.

'Typical Erudite,' she whispers. I nod, laughing. The man presses a series of numbers on a keypad next to a door. A man's voice echoes through the small hallway we are standing in.

'Who are you?'

'It's me. I have three people to see you – three teenagers,'

'Who are they?'

The man looks sideways at me, and I speak up.

'Tris, Christina, and Zeke,'

There is a pause on the other end of the line.

'Tris…Prior?'

I frown.

'Yes,'

'Why are you here?'

'I need to show her something. And I need to ask you something, too,' says Christina

'Do you know who I am?'

'Yes,' Christina says. _'Who?' _I mouth. She shakes her head. 'Please let us in. Think about the conversation we had yesterday,'

Zeke and I exchange bemused looks. There is a buzz, and the door slides open. The man stands back, and I follow Christina through.

The room we are in now is different from the rest of the building. The walls are painted a creamy yellow, and there is a table scattered in papers, behind which sits a man, his face obscured by a hood.

'I didn't expect you to come here, Tris,'

'Neither did I,'

The man seems amused, the dark shadows under his eyes lifting slightly. I still can't see him under his hood.

'I brought her so you could show her what…what's been going on,'

'And I will.'

He looks up, and strides over to me.

'So, who do you think did it, then?' he asks, quietly.

'Did what?'

'Kill your brother,'

My throat goes tight, and I swallow.

'I…I don't know…'

'But who do you think?'

'I think…I think…' my voice shrinks to a whisper. 'Tobias Eaton.'

The man nods slowly.

'Interesting…very interesting,'

I frown.

'Who are you, anyway?'

'The leader of the Erudite – well, the innocents among them, anyway,'

'And what's your name?'

'I thought you would've recognised my voice.'

'Well, I don't,' I say, flatly.

The man reaches up his large hands and lifts his hood, slowly. I gaze up at the man beneath the hood – the new leader of the Erudite, and my jaw drops. No way has this man come back to haunt me. No way.

The new leader of Erudite is Marcus Eaton.


	3. Chapter 3

Three

'Recognise me?' he asks, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

'I…I…you? But you're Abnegation!'

'I _was _Abnegation,' he corrects me, 'But now I'm Factionless. My son's actions gave me a lot of thinking to do – but what would be best for me, staying quiet in a secure Faction, with a destroyed government so therefore no job, or become of the highest importance in Erudite? Obviously the latter. I got talking with one of the Erudite women, and she referred me to some others…it took a long time, and a lot of work. But here I am,' he turns to Christina, 'What did you want me to show young Tris, here and…this other boy?' he glances at Zeke, his eyebrows tugging together.

'Zeke,' says Zeke, stretching out his hand. Marcus holds out his own hand and grips Zeke's, letting go quickly. Zeke's rather thick smile fades, and the muscles in his jaw go tense.

'The truth,' says Christina, breaking the silence. Marcus raises an eyebrow, and opens the drawer behind his desk, taking out a long, thin black box.

'Both of them?' he asks, gesturing towards Zeke and I.

'Well, yes,'

Marcus nods, pulls out another box, and flips them both open. Inside is a syringe, filled with a lilac coloured liquid. He then pulls out two antiseptic wipes from a packet in a different drawer, and Zeke and I dab our necks gingerly.

'You want to do it yourself?' he asks. His eyes look mocking as I snatch the syringe from the box, place it at the now clean spot on my neck, and plunge the needle into my flesh. Beside me, I faintly see Zeke doing the same, and then dark spots blot out Marcus's office. The wooden floorboards beneath me change to stone, and I stare around me. Zeke stumbles slightly beside me, and I clutch his arm to hold him steady.

'Where are we?' he mutters, brushing invisible dust from his black jeans.

'No idea,'

'And do you promise to tell the truth?' says a voice next to my ear.

I whip around, and a man stands there, his back to my face. I step slowly to the side, and see a chair with chains dangling from both arms. I recognise the boy in the chair; I know him very well. Maybe too well.

'Tobias?' I whisper, reaching out. But he can't see me. This is a different kind of simulation; not one where you are in your own head, controlling what is in front of you and not one where people can sense your presence. It is one that transmits from another mind – Marcus's.

Zeke's eyes widen, and he gives me a look. I shake my head. _No, we are not together…not really. Not anymore. _I feel a plunging sensation in my stomach when I think of him – his face, his large hands, the tattoos on his back.

'Yes,'

Tobias's voice is croaky and hoarse, as though he hasn't spoken for a very long time.

'The whole truth?' the man says, sharply. I look at him. He is bald, and his head shines with sweat. His deep-set eyes are grey, like faint mist, and his skin is so pale he looks like a ghost.

'Yes,'

'If you break your promise, you will be executed.'

Tobias bares his teeth in a smile, though it looks more like a grimace.

'Funny how you jump to that straight away,' he says. I stare at him – how can he make a joke in a situation like this? _A situation like what, Tris? You have no idea what is going on. _

His interrogator – or who I assume must be his interrogator – does not change his facial expression. His eyes remain blank. Emotionless. I can feel Zeke's eyes on me, but I look firmly at Tobias, lips pursed, until he looks away.

'If we feel you have not told the truth, we will put you under the truth serum,'

Tobias doesn't say anything, looking steadily at the man in front of him. _Only four fears. This is not one of them. _

'We must be in Candor…' Zeke mutters. I nod, slowly. Candor is the only faction which has the truth serum, unless another faction has taken it illegally.

'Do you know anything about the attack of Mr Caleb Prior?'

My throat tightens and I refrain from spluttering out. My heart has jumped to my mouth, and I swallow, eyes watering. A warm hand rests on my shoulder – Zeke's. I wipe my eyes with my sleeve and look down, embarrassed. Tobias pauses and then says,

'No.'

The interrogator scribbles something down in his notebook. Then he presses a button on the wall next to him and a faint buzzing noise comes from downstairs. I whip round as a man wearing a long white lab coat and large glasses balancing rather precariously on his long nose comes in, a syringe in his hand.

'Is this really necessary?' asks Tobias, sounding rather bored. 'I haven't got all day, you know,'

'You will be available for as long as we need you. Now, you can either do this the easy way, or the hard way.'

Tobias yawns loudly.

'Stop being so dramatic – I've done it before,'

A red flush spreads up the man's neck as he passes the syringe to Tobias, who jabs it in his neck. His eyes become blank, his mouth set in a thin line. He stares straight ahead of him, alert yet slightly dazed at the same time.

'Now. The serum needs a bit of time to sink in, so I'll ask you some simple questions first: who is your father?'

'Marcus Eaton,'

'What faction did you transfer to at the age of sixteen?'

'Dauntless.'

'Who is your girlfriend?'

Tobias pauses, and I shift my weight from foot to foot, waiting for the answer.

'Is, or was?' he asks, tapping a rhythm on his leg with two fingers.

'_Is_.'

Tobias yawns, then says,

'Tris Prior.'

I should feel angry. Upset, even. But I don't. The corners of my lips tug up, and I remember how close we actually are – or were. I love him.

'Okay. Now onto the real stuff. Do you know anything about the attack and murder of Caleb Prior?'

He leans forward, though Tobias doesn't reply. His fingers stop tapping the rhythm, and he looks up, slowly, at the interrogator.

'Yes.'

My jaw drops. So it was him.

'Were you involved in the attack?'

'No.'

I'm confused. He knew about it, but made no effort to stop it?

'Please explain what happened.'

Tobias opens his mouth and closes it again, rather like a goldfish in a tank.

'He was annoying a man – someone I know very well. Bugging him, and always asking him questions about…a confidential matter to do with Erudite. He was getting too close to the truth – the truth that no one should know. Only one person knows it in the whole world. Caleb was too smart – this man knew that he was going to work it out sooner or later, and then would tell everyone. So he killed him. He killed Caleb,'

Tobias chokes on his own words, and tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He speaks in a monotone voice – he is not controlling what he spills out to us. Something wet trickles down my cheek – a tear, and then they all cascade down my face. I can't control it. I want to leap at his interrogator and hurt him. Stop him from hurting Tobias. The man leans forward even more, so his and Tobias's noses are almost touching. Tobias does not move away.

'One last question. Who killed Caleb Prior?'

Tobias opens his mouth, hesitating. I stare at the two of them, and feel Zeke's grip on my shoulder tightening until he is squeezing it so hard it hurts.

And then they fade away. My feet feel wooden floorboards again, and my jaw drops. _No. He can't stop it…not now. _I look up into Marcus's gaze, and he smiles a wide smile. I stare down at his hand, and his fingers are curled around the trigger.

The trigger of a gun.


	4. Chapter 4

Four

'You're not going to shoot,' I say, though my voice is shaky and my fingers trembling. I know what Marcus is capable of, after what he did to Tobias.

'What makes you think that?' he arches his eyebrow and I step back. Zeke's hand finds mine and I clutch it, tightly. He is breathing quickly, and his eyes are flitting from the gun in Marcus's hand to the exit, uncertainly. I glance back too, though an Erudite guard is stationed there, face expressionless, a gun pinned to his side. I groan internally, and focus again on Marcus. His eyes look threatening, the lines in his forehead more prominent then before. He raises the gun and points it directly towards my head. I shrink away slowly; my heart thumping so hard against my chest it hurts.

'Why are you going to kill us?' asks Zeke, sounding less afraid then he looks.

'You know too much. I shouldn't have let you see it. Luckily I persuaded Christina to go, so she wouldn't stop me,'

'Why did you let us see it if you were going to kill us afterwards?'

'I wasn't planning to, until I realised I…I realised…'

'You realised what?' I ask, stepping forwards.

'I gave you the wrong serum. You weren't supposed to see that,'

I smirk despite myself, and Marcus narrows his eyes. He releases the safety cap on the gun and I flinch as a loud click fills the room.

'You wouldn't dare…' says Zeke, though he sounds panicked.

'Wouldn't I? We shall see. You see, if young Tris here didn't know Tobias – if she wasn't so close to him, then I would let you go. But she is inevitably going to run off and tell her little boyfriend every tiny thing she saw. She'd tell him I'm the new Erudite leader. And that can't happen now, can it?'

Zeke's fingers curl into a fist, and he shifts his right leg back a little, as though ready to pounce. Marcus laughs a cruel, cold laugh, and his eyes bore into mine. All I can see are the black holes I saw in Tobias's fear landscape. Shaking myself, I look away.

'Who to kill first…let me see…'

He raises the gun high and squints to aim at Zeke's chest. He fires.

The next thing happens as though in slow motion in my head. I see the small silver bullet fly out from the barrel of then gun and relying mainly on instinct, I leap forwards to shield Zeke. His arm appears at my side and he tries to push my away, but I stand my ground, firmly. And then pain creeps up my arm, so fierce and intense that I scream until my throat screams in protest. I hear a gasp of shock behind me and an arm around my waist, and collapse into it.

'What have you done?' whispers Zeke, his voice barely audible. Marcus shrugs, inspecting his fingernails and sighing slowly.

'Tris, we need to get you out of here, and fast,'

But my vision is going blotchy; dark smudges are crowding the edges of my sight and my shoulder is shrieking in protest. It falls limply to my side and I am falling down.

Down.

Down.

_What had Marcus done? I hope I look calm on the outside, because inside I am screaming. I hook my arms under Tris's surprisingly light body and pick her up, glancing at Marcus as I turn away. His face is expressionless as he looks in the drawer for something – another bullet? My hands are shaking, legs feeling like jelly beneath my as I stumble over to the exit. The guard stands in front of me and I look at him pleadingly. His face is ashen as he fumbles for the gun at his side._

_'No. Please. She's my friend,' I say, staring into his almost black eyes. He hesitates and then lets his arm dangle at his side. _

_'Go through,' he mutters. I nod in gratitude as he picks his gun up, points it at my head. 'Pretend to get away. Kick me, punch me, whatever you've got,' he whispers. I shrink away, shaking my head. _

_'I can't hurt you…'_

_'Quickly, before Marcus turns around,' he hisses, 'or I really will shoot,'_

_I pause for a split second, and then sling the unconscious Tris over my shoulder. I grab the gun from the guard's hand and slam it into the back of his head. He makes no movement, just falls to the ground at my feet and I bite my cheek guiltily, as the blood at his head thickens. And then Marcus turns around. I see his face alight with fury as I slip away, sprinting as fast as my body allows me to go with the dead weight I have dragging me back. I hear gunshots behind me and stop dead, but the corridor is deserted. The shots are coming from Marcus's office._

_'Useless guard,'_ _I hear him mutter as I run out into the Erudite gardens. And then I hear the whistle of a knife nick my ear and I almost trip. I whip round, and see I am surrounded by the Erudite, all of whom are armed. _


	5. Chapter 5

Five

'Tris, come on, you need to wake up,'

I open my eyes slowly, a stabbing pain in my shoulder. My vision is blurred and fuzzy; I can only make out hazy outlines of buildings behind a boy – Uriah?

'Uriah?' I say, uncertainly. My voice is weak, and there is a faint ringing in my ears.

'It's Zeke. Do you remember what happened?'

I do. The memories wash over me like an ice cold, unwelcome wave of water.

'Where are we?' I croak, trying to sit up. Zeke pushes me gently back down.

'Erudite hospital,' he says, and I groan.

'Good or bad?' I ask, though I think I know the answer.

'Definitely bad.'

'How long have I been out?'

'About two days – does your shoulder still hurt?'

'Yeah…why are the Erudite innocents keeping us here?'

Zeke shrugs, and reaches over to a small vile of clear liquid next to my bed.

'What's that?' I ask defensively, shrinking away.

'Medicine. Sit tight – I thought you were meant to be Dauntless,'

'I am, but Dauntless can be afraid of stuff…'

'What, like things that cure them?'

I stick my tongue out at him and he laughs.

'Sit up – you can't drink it sitting down,'

I adjust the pillow so it leans against the headboard and pull myself into a sitting position, trying to ignore the pounding in my head. I open my mouth and he pours two drops of the liquid onto my tongue. It tastes of slightly off milk, and I screw up my face, wrinkling my nose in distaste. Zeke rolls his eyes.

'Is she awake?'

I look up at an old woman with curly grey hair hidden under a white hat. She has stern but kind eyes, and is wearing a white apron over a long blue dress.

'It'd be best if you leave her for a few hours. She must be exhausted, and needs a rest. She needs to be fully awake for the questioning tomorrow,'

'Questioning?' I say, curiously.

'They don't believe we just wanted to find out the truth about what happened to your brother, so we're going to be given a choice – either get tortured for information, or they're going to call over a bunch of the Candor to interrogate us with truth serum,' Zeke sounds bored as he says this and looks at the nurse with distaste. She regards him arrogantly and points to the door.

'Go,'

Zeke holds his hands up as though surrendering and marches out of the door. I almost laugh at the outraged expression on the nurse's face, but hold my tongue as she turns her gaze to me.

'You need sleep. Drink this.'

She thrusts a mug into my hands.

'What is it?' I ask, sniffing it gingerly. It is warm, and I wrap my fingers around the china so the warmth soaks into my body.

'Sleeping fluid. It provides you with a peaceful sleep – no dreams. Unless…'

'Unless what?'

She sighs pointedly, and lowers her voice so I have to lean forward to hear her.

'Unless…are you Divergent?'

I gulp, and spring to my defence.

'Why are you asking?'

'Because I'd have to get the other sleeping potion – the stronger one,'

I pause, and then say,

'I'm not Divergent,'

The nurse suspects nothing, and I sip the fluid slowly. It tastes of sweet honey mixed with a warm, creamy caramel. I relax slightly, my muscles loosening. The nurse fusses with my pillows and I sink into them. Someone has put a hot water bottle between the sheets and I rest my legs on it, lapping up the warmth. My fingers and toes tingle and I drink more, letting it flow over my tongue, smooth and soothing. I forget about Tobias, Marcus, Christina…I forget about the questioning tomorrow – I forget that the world I am living in now is corrupt and unfair, split into sections based on personality. I forget that I am the centre of this trouble…I forget that I am imprisoned in the Erudite compound. There is a loud bang somewhere far away but I ignore it. I am tired of being the one who gets into fights and wars and battles. I want to be like the normal people who just blend in. I shake myself mentally and drown the last drops of the potion. Another loud noise fills my ears but I block it out, pulling the warm blankets over my head. I am warm, and calm, and relaxed.

I wake to screams and shouts and jolt upright, trying to be alert. The sleeping potion made me groggy and I stumble over to the water jug on the windowsill, downing a plastic cup full of water in one gulp. I pour another one, drink it, and then splash my face with water. Shaking myself, I sprint out of the room.

The entire staircase is engulfed in flames and I scream. Flashes of yellow, gold, orange and red fill my eyes and I stare around, searching for a moving person. Bodies are lying around, slumped against the wall or lying with outstretched limbs on the floor. I hear a voice behind me.

'What happened?'

The voice sounds weak and feeble and I turn. Behind me stands a small girl about half of my height and I crouch down, filled with pity. She has waist length blonde hair and a button nose. Her eyes are large, with leaf green irises and pale cheeks.

'I don't know,'

'Mummy and Daddy are gone,'

I reach out my hand and she breathes in a long, shaky breath, her chest heaving with sobs.

'We need to get out of here, now,' I say, stroking her hair. The girl nods. 'What's your name?'

'Talia,'

'I'm Tris,'

Talia nods and I take her by the hand, leading her down another staircase. What the hell had happened? Not a Dauntless attack, surely – they know we are here. And not Amity – definitely not Amity, or Abnegation. Candor perhaps…but I thought they had signed the peace treaty?

Beads of sweat start to trickle down the side of my face, and I am beginning to get desperate. Talia's hand is clammy and hot in mine, though she clutches on tightly, digging her nails into my palm. I grit my teeth and carry on, half dragging Talia behind me. The fire is getting hotter, and my face is shining with sweat, dripping down my back. I see a body lying on the floor and leap backwards, shivering despite the heat. Cringing away from the blood, I sidestep the young woman and we carry on.

'Where are we going?' asks Talia.

'Um…do you know your way round?'

'Yes. Should we go to the exit?'

I nod and she goes ahead of me, stepping over fallen objects, jumping over a burnt desk on its side, shredded paper everywhere. Soon a large white door appears ahead and Talia goes through it. I pause, biting my lip, standing in the middle of the corridor. Talia sticks her head round the door and beckons me over, but I don't respond.

'You go on,' I say, 'I need to fight.'


	6. Chapter 6

Six

I sprint back along the corridor, head throbbing and heart pounding. Skidding to a stop, I kick open the door to the right of me and run down three flights of stairs, towards the shouting and yelling.

'Tris!'

I whip round, pulling out the gun from the waistband of my jeans someone must have dressed me in at the hospital. Zeke stands behind me, his chest heaving, his tracksuits ripped and blood splattered.

'What happened? What's happening?' I ask.

'Attack from Candor – and some Dauntless,'

Dauntless traitors? For Candor?

'Are you hurt?' I ask, anxiously. He shakes his head, and I raise my eyebrows, pulling up the torn denim from his knee. The head of a tiny silver bullet is nestled amongst a mass of scarlet blood, and I cringe slightly.

'It's nothing,' he mutters, pulling away, 'just some stupid traitors with a bad aim,' he grins what looks like a painful grin.

'Why did they attack?'

'I don't know. The Erudite innocents have some prisoners, and they're going to interrogate them. I overheard some of the Candor talking about a planned attack on Amity…'

I open my mouth in horror.

'What have the Amity done?'

'Nothing, that's just it. They have no reason to attack – not us, either, and they'll be attacking Abnegation soon too.'

'Sounds like some sort of terrorism…' I muse, frowning. A loud bang echoes behind us and I turn to face the noise. The door I am now facing has been blown open and shards of glass fly through the air, and I throw my arms over my head to protect myself. There is a sharp pain in my arm and I withdraw them from my face. A large piece of glass is sticking out of the skin, and I yank it out, gasping in pain.

'I need to go,' I say desperately, edging closer to the empty doorway, 'I have a feeling the attack has something to do with us – the Erudite don't deserve to die,'

'Except maybe Marcus,' says Zeke, a ruthless smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

'He doesn't count,' I reply, and turn on my heel, sprinting off towards the fighting.

'Wait, Tris?!' Zeke calls after me, but I don't turn round, just pause in the middle of the corridor.

'Yeah?' I say

'I'm coming with you,' he says, limping over to the doorway. I almost laugh as I shake my head.

'No way, you'll be no help. You can barely move, let alone fight. You'll just get yourself killed,' I hate myself saying those words, when I have experienced the position in which Zeke is now. I am reminded of Tobias and I chew the inside of my cheek. _He loves me. And I love him. Don't I?_

'I didn't choose Dauntless for nothing,' he says, 'if I die, I want to die fighting,'

I roll my eyes.

'Then go to the gardens – I'll meet you there. You can look after all the kids who've gone there, before one of the Candor or Dauntless traitors get there first,'

Zeke pauses, considering, and I push him gently round.

'You'll be of no help, and you could injure one of us,' I say, hesitantly, and he nods slowly.

'Which door?'

'First left,' I say, pointing. He nods, and limps over to the door, turning round as he puts his hand on the chipped wooden handle, and salutes. I salute back and he grins.

'It was nice knowing you,' he says, and I give him an exasperated look.

'How encouraging,' I say sarcastically, before I sprint off into battle.

The scene on the ground floor is terrible. Fire is still raging on, snatching up ornaments and tables, licking the sides of the staircase. I scan the scene and my eyes rest on a small boy with a chocolate brown complexion and thick, curly black hair. He looks terrified, visually shaking, barely able to move. A gun is pointed at his head, the barrel twisting into his skin, and his mouth is clenched tight shut – in pain? In fear? I run over, catching the Dauntless traitor by surprise, and punch him in the jaw. His gun clatters to the floor and I pick it up, pointing it at him. It feels cold in my hand, like it doesn't belong there. The handle is rigid, the side cutting into my palm. It doesn't feel…right. I pull the young Erudite boy behind me and he clutches onto my waist, his small fingers trembling. A loud sob issues out of his mouth, quickly stifled as though he is embarrassed.

'Did he hurt you?' I ask, gesturing to the traitor I am holding at gunpoint.

'No,' the boy whispers.

'Okay,' I mutter, and whack the barrel of the gun into the back of the man's head. His eyes roll back and he falls to the floor, unconscious. I crouch down so I am eye level with the boy, and look him in the eye. Tears are tumbling down his cheeks, thick and fast and I wipe them away with my sleeves. He gives me a watery smile.

'You need to get out of here, and fast. Do you know where the garden is – the one with the big fountain?'

He nods.

'You need to go there,' I tell him, 'my friend will be waiting, and other children have gone there too. When all of the children are there, you'll be taken to the Dauntless compound – don't worry, it's not what it sounds like.' I smile, and he nods, wrinkling his brow in concentration.

'Got it,' he whispers, and I squeeze his hand. He lets go and runs back, through the corridor I came through, and out of sight. Once I'm sure he hasn't been recaptured I swivel around. The fire is getting closer, and I am dripping with sweat, my top clinging to my back. My shoulder throbs and I feel as though a million tiny hammers are hitting at my skull. There is suddenly a sharp pain on the back of my head and I raise my hand to it, feeling hot, sticky blood. I sway, and two large hands grasp my shoulders, steering me forcefully to the right. I struggle against the grasp, but the person's grip is like iron. I twist my head round to look at my captor, and my eyes widen. No way has he come back to haunt me – he is dead. I watched Tobias kill him with my own eyes.

Eric.


	7. Chapter 7

Seven

Eric catches my eye and I look away bitterly, trying to look defeated. He smirks and his grip tightens on my shoulder, causing me to grit my teeth in pain. He can obviously see my shocked face because he starts to laugh a hollow, meaningless laugh.

'Thought I was dead, did you?'

I ignore him and walk without struggling. I have to wait it out…see what he wants...

'Lots of people did,' he says, 'I was quite clever, wasn't I? With the whole pretending-to-be-dead thing. Even you could admit that, couldn't you Tris?'

'Let me go.' I say, quietly.

'No.'

He leads me through a set of double doors and down a staircase I didn't even know existed. We are underground now, and the clean white walls shine eerily in the light of a swaying light attached to the ceiling. There is a bolted door at the end of the corridor, the padlock swinging loosely off its hook, the handle blown off. Eric kicks the door open with his foot and shoves me through in front of him.

The room is so brightly lit that I squint, my eyes adjusting slowly. I blink a few times to rid the black spots that had appeared.

'Tris?'

I look up at the sound of my name, and my eyes widen at the sight of Tobias. I struggle against Eric's grip until he finally lets go, and I rush to Tobias's frail figure slumped in a chair, his arms chained to the rough steel. I bend down and he stretched out one long, thin finger, stroking my cheek. I close my eyes and a sob escapes me.

'What happened?' I ask quietly. 'To you, I mean? Why are you here? And why…why did you tell me you killed Caleb? I know you didn't…'

Tobias puts his finger to my lips and I stop talking, grateful for the calm silence between us.

'It was Marcus. And Eric. They work together now…'

I open my eyes in horror, and he nods gravely.

'They broke into the safe house next to this building, where all Jeanine's old stuff is kept – including the Divergent friendly serums – and took a load of needles and potions. While I was asleep two nights ago, they injected me and I didn't wake up – couldn't feel it. They must've broken into Dauntless – obviously Eric knows the way and everything.

'The serum somehow made me want to lie – made me want to tell you for some reason that I killed your brother. I didn't, obviously. Why would I do that?'

I blush, feeling stupid for believing him. He just seemed so…earnest. I turn my head to see where Eric is. He is muttering to a Candor woman with her long ginger hair tied back in a plait, with a gun strapped to her side. He has one eye on us, and I turn back.

'I'm sorry,' I say.

'Don't be,' he whispers. I lean into him, and he kisses the top of my head, stroking my hair as far as he can stretch with his trapped arms.

'Get off each other.' Eric barks, and I spring reluctantly away from Tobias, facing Eric.

'Get the others,' he says to the Candor woman, and she pulls a walkie-talkie from her belt, speaking into it,

'All call to the meeting point, urgently. Over and out.'

I give a sideways look to Tobias, and he gives a minute shake of the head. Seconds later, the door bangs open, and half a dozen men and women storm in, guns at the ready.

'Three,' Tobias whispers. I place the tips of my fingers on the ground, poised to spring. Tobias and I have used this defence and attack system since the war with the Factionless and Erudite.

'Two,' I say. He draws a knife from his side, and cuts open the chains binding his arms as easily as if the chains were made of butter.

'One,' he mutters. I leap up, grabbing one of the men round his neck. I have caught him by surprise, for he crumples easily, knocked unconscious from the blow I had directed to his stomach. I kick another one in the shins and she drops her weapons, sinking to the floor. I watch her closely for a few minutes, to make sure she wouldn't get up and start attacking again, but she is lying still, her eyes widening slowly in shock. Eventually I turn away and jump backwards immediately, caught by surprise; a Dauntless traitor is standing so close to me I can smell his ragged, uneven breaths. He smirks and pulls a knife out of his pocket, aiming it at my chest. Automatically my hand flies to the waistband of my jeans as though on default, and I pull out a gun. It feels cold in my hands. Unwelcome. Gritting my teeth, I fire straight at his head. He collapses to the floor, his shocked eyes turning to glass and his body relaxing, each muscle slowly losing life. I gulp and turn away, then shake myself internally. I'm supposed to be Dauntless, aren't I? Well, not fully. I'm Divergent.

A sharp pain is ebbing its way up my arm and I cry out, twisting around to see what is stuck in my arm. A small, sharp knife is buried amongst a pool of blood and my vision goes blotchy. I sway, trying to clear my head; to think straight. Gripping the handle of the knife I wrench it out, a scream issuing from my mouth. The pain is so intense, and I feel as though a heavy cloud is fogging my vision, my mind, my senses. I hear a scream. A loud voice. Strong hands grab my arms and I am hauled away. I want to struggle, but I am so weak, and now I am falling into blackness.


	8. Chapter 8

Eight

'We need to test on her in exactly three minutes and forty…one seconds,'

I keep my eyes shut, wanting to listen to whoever is speaking. My shoulder throbs, adding to the pain in my head, and I am lying on cold metal, with a thin sheet to subdue the pain of the jagged edges. I sneak a look around, and quickly shut my eyes again. I am in a large hospital ward. Rows and rows of beds are lined up beside me, all of which are empty.

'The same injection?'

'Yes.'

'How high was her blood pressure before?'

'High, but I think that was just the shock of all of this, and the fact that she was unconscious…'

'Okay. Is it time yet?'

His voice suddenly clicked: Marcus. But who was he speaking to?

'I'll get the needle ready,'

I feel a cold wipe at my arm, and fight my instincts to run, to hide, to get away. A sharp stab of pain erupts where the wipe went, spreading up my arm. It soon disappears, and my head feels cloudy. There is a voice in my ear, cool, calm, yet sharp and firm at the same time. _Wake up, and get out of bed. Stand by the door. Go on, do it. How will it hurt you? Exactly it won't, so just do it! Stand by the door…it's not that difficult…_I open my eyes, blinking. A heavy cloud seems to have fogged my mind, and I feel so tired I just want to flop in bed. Who cares what I think? Who cares about what I want to do? I don't want to be the leader anymore. I want to follow instructions, sit back and do what I'm told…and there is the voice again, sweet yet sour at the same time, strict yet nice – patient. _Go on…stand by the door! _As though on auto-pilot, I swing my legs over the bed and get up, ignoring the pain in my shoulder and head with ease. _That's it…keep going! Nothing will hurt you. _I frown. My instincts scream at me, _Run. Something's not right. Escape while you have the chance. _I hesitate, but my legs carry on walking. The door gets larger and larger, and I struggle, urging myself to run, to escape. But the voice in my head is soft, and kind, and slowly ceasing, like a radio with the volume turned right down, or someone fiddling with the sound on a CD player – at one point the voice is loud, and urging me to go, the next is soft, and other times, my mind catches up with it all, and common sense flies back. I have my hand on the doorknob, about to turn it, and the voice grows louder and louder. _Go on! Turn the handle, that's it…_I let go of the handle, and the voice grows louder and louder. _Go on! What's it going to do to you, just turn the handle! What's stopping you?_

Something isn't right. The voice is getting deeper, less soft. More like…Eric? I swivel round, pull out a gun from the waistband in my jeans, and shoot at the door. A scream echoes down the corridor, and I run through, looking around to find the source of the noise. A man is lying on the floor, bloodied and ragged. He looks up slowly, and I gasp. Not here…not now…it can't be.

'Tobias?' my voice comes out in a hoarse whisper, I sway, dizzy. His image blurs before me and I fight to remain conscious. Grabbing onto the banister for support, I lean down, trying to wipe the blood on his head away with my sleeve.

'Why were you here?' I ask. My voice breaks, and tears cascade down my cheeks. Tobias raises his head again, and his image flickers. I frown, waves of nausea washing over me. The effects of the drug they injected into my skin are making me drowsy now, slightly unaware, less alert. But surely if his image isn't clear, why isn't the corridor around me the same? Tobias's slumped figure is becoming less and less clear, and then a different expression crosses over his face. Anger. Fear. His face blurs and in its place is an old, very familiar one. Eric.

'What is going on?' I sob. Eric stands unsteadily, grabbing onto the banister so he doesn't fall over. His expression is murderous, and before he can reply I am sprinting away, crashing down the staircase and out into a large field. Rows and rows of crops are lined up in neat, long lines, and I frown. Where is everybody? _Come back here…_I jump, whipping round, before realising the voice is in my head. I ignore it, which takes all of my self control, and run along the field, trampling the seeds, scattering a bunch of squirrels who were trying to dig the crops out. I don't dare look back, and plunge into a crowd of trees, thickly grown together. Dappled sunlight shimmers under my feet, as though I am running on water, and then I stop dead. An iridescent haze is a millimetre in front of me. I take another step back, feeling its vibration of electricity coursing through the surrounding trees. Rocking forward slightly on my heels, I extend a trembling finger and touch it, very lightly. The pain is immediate and intense, a sharp prick of a burn to my fingertip. I stare at it, my vision hazy, and see three tiny drops of blood splatter onto the leaves. There is the sound of footsteps all around and I lean against a tree, clutching my hand so hard it starts to hurt even more. A man advances forward, a lazy smile upon his face, his light grey eyes hard, emotionless. He raises a strange looking gun, and pulls the trigger. I flinch as a sting erupts through my arm, spreading around my whole body. My eyes roll back and I try to yank the dart out of my arm, but I only plunge it deeper into the flesh.

'Sorry, miss. You'll understand,'

But I have no time to think why on earth he is apologizing before I pass out.


	9. Chapter 9

Nine

'Where are we?' I wake up, groggy, and blink, eyes widening.

'Amity compound,'

'Are you…your not…?'

'Amity spies,'

The man sitting beside me winks, and I furrow my brow.

'But the Amity are supposed to be, like, truthful, and happy and stuff?'

'We are happy, I can agree with that, truthful to each other – to everyone else? Well, not so much,'

I sit up, and pick a stem of grass from the ground, twisting it around my finger.

'Sorry I had to hurt you,' says the man, 'but Erudite have cameras everywhere, even in the woods, and especially at the boundaries.'

'How come I got in before?' I ask, snapping the blade of grass in two and dropping it back on the ground.

'You went in through the main entrance,'

'Oh,'

'Does it hurt? Where I shot you with the dart, I mean,'

My fingers fly to my arm and I touch the mark gingerly, but I don't feel I thing.

'No,' I say, slowly. 'Shouldn't it hurt, though?'

'Yeah, but we gave you this juice stuff right after you passed out – it heals it,'

I look down, twisting my fingers together.

'Do you…' I hesitate, 'do you know a boy called Tobias Eaton?'

The man freezes, and I look at him, puzzled.

'What?' he asks. His voice is hoarse, and I inch away from him.

'Tobias Eaton,'

The man gets to his feet, wiping his hands on his jeans. I follow suit.

'I know who he is. But I don't know where he…'

The man looks up and nods to someone behind me. I turn to see a girl running towards us, her long ginger hair flying out behind her. Her dress is bright yellow, flapping in the breeze, and she has a basket of apples slung over her arm.

'Elizabeth wants to see you…wait, you are Beatrice Prior, right?'

I nod.

'Er…Elizabeth?' I say, uncertainly.

'The new leader of Amity,' she explains, and then reaches into her basket. 'Are you hungry?'

'No thanks, I'm fine,'

The girl nods, and turns to run back. Just when I think she's about to go out of sight, she clambers up one of the apple trees, hangs her basket on a low branch and begins to pick more apples, dropping each one into the basket.

I follow the man into the building, and he presses the button for the lift. After a few seconds, there is a quiet beeping noise and the lift door slides open. We go in and he jabs his finger at the button for the top floor.

The room at the top is large, with glass walls and ceiling so you can see from every angle of the Amity gardens. I gasp at the view – rolling hills going on for miles, trees bursting with ripening fruit, flowers with petals so bright I almost have to squint to look at them. The sky above me is bright blue, dotted with a few clouds drifting lazily along. Young children play in the fields, older ones sit on the branches of trees, talking and laughing. I stare at them all – how they can be so happy, so oblivious, care free and unaware of what is going on outside of their safe compound – the Candor fighting with Erudite, the Dauntless for once seeking peace, Eric back, the disruption, the arguments, the violence.

'Err…Tris?'

I jolt back to reality, and look at the woman sitting behind a white desk – Elizabeth. She has brown hair with streaks of blonde, pulled back in a loose pony tail. Her eyes are large and green, the shape of almonds, twinkling innocently – almost curiously – at me.

'Take a seat,' she says. Her voice is sweet and high, like a bird about to take flight. She gestures at a large chair opposite her, and I perch on the edge of it.

'I'm Elizabeth Parks,' she holds out her hand and I shake it.

'I was just wondering something – well, a few things actually – would you mind if I asked you a few questions? Would you like some tea? Coffee? Any drink at all,'

'Er…tea, please,'

'Sugar? Milk?'

'Some sugar, if you have…'

She nods, smiling, and reaches behind her, not taking her eyes off me, puts the kettle to boil, pulls a mug from a drawer beneath her desk.

'Why did you go to Erudite in the first place?' she asks, handing me the steaming mug. I take it, and sip it slowly.

'My friend – Christina – she told me she had something to show me there, so I went with her and Zeke…'

I trail off, and Elizabeth's eyebrows knot together.

'What's wrong?' she asks, leaning forward.

'Where's Zeke?' I ask. Guilt bites at my stomach, gnawing at my insides.

'Don't worry. We have him here, safe, like you,'

I relax slightly; though still feel culpable at forgetting about him.

'Carry on,' Elizabeth says, smoothly. I take another gulp of tea and continue,

'Anyway yeah, so I went to Erudite with Zeke and Christina, and found out Marcus was their new leader…' I gulp, anger bubbling up inside me like lava on the verge of pouring out, 'and he showed us – me and Zeke – a simulation, and it was just saying stuff about…about Tobias,' my throat clenches, and I drink some more of the tea, letting the hot, sweet liquid soothe my senses. Closing my eyes for a second, I carry on,

'So it told us the truth about…something personal, and then Marcus – it's Marcus Eaton I'm talking about by the way,'

Elizabeth's eyes widen, and her face goes pale.

'Marcus is the new leader of Erudite? Marcus _Eaton_? The one who's famous for being in Abnegation, the one who beat his son up?'

'Yeah…anyway, then when we were back in his office (or out of the simulation) he decided he wanted to shoot us. Christina had gone, and then the guard let us escape, and we ended up in the Erudite hospital – I don't know how because I had blacked out.

'When I became conscious again, Eric and some other man injected me with something, and I thought…I thought I saw Tobias…dying. But it was just a simulation – in fact, the man in front of me on the floor was Eric. So I ran, and ended up at the border. That's when you took me,'

Elizabeth nods slowly, musing.

'Can…can I see Tobias now?'

Elizabeth pauses for a few minutes, and then shakes herself.

'Sorry, what?'

'Tobias. Can I see him?'

'Oh, yes, sorry. Of course,'

She gestures to the man I was with before, and tells him to take me to Tobias. He stiffens when he hears Tobias's name, and I frown. Why is he so funny about that?

'The normal place?' he asks, gruffly.

'Yes,' says Elizabeth.

I follow him through three corridors, twisting right and left, then down three flights of stairs. The air gets considerably cooler, and goose bumps prick up my arms. I pull my jacket tighter about me, as we go through a large door at the end of a dark hallway, stepping into a small, cosy looking room. A fire is roaring in the grate, dancing flames – red, orange, gold, crisp and new – autumn leaves. Three armchairs have been crowded around the fire, all with matching patterns – golden flowers joined together by the very tips of the stems. I stride towards the chair furthest to the left, closest to the fire. The flames are reflected in his shining deep blue eyes, his lips turned upwards slightly though his brow furrowed, a thin line cutting across his forehead. He turns to face me as he hears my footprints, and his face lights up. Scrambling to his feet, Tobias pulls me into a tight embrace, and I bury my face into his shoulder.

'Oh my God Tobias…' I whisper, and my voice cracks. 'I was so worried,'

'Shh,' he whispers, stroking my hair tenderly with his warm hand. 'It's okay now. I'm here,'

We relax onto the armchair, my legs curled up to my chest. I rest my head between his chin and chest, closing my eyes. His steady breathing calms me, his hand resting softly on my curled back, spreading a tingling warmth through my body. His breath evens out, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, and I glance up, to see he is asleep, his mouth upturned, his face calm. I close my eyes once more, and fall into a deep sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Ten

'We've got to move, fast,'

I open one eye and sit up, almost bumping my head on Tobias's chin. He grins down at me, and I rub my eyes, blinking.

'You okay?' he asks.

'I'm fine…sort of,'

'Is your shoulder okay?'

'I don't know. Haven't looked at it,'

Pulling my sleeve up, I show him the bullet mark. Dried blood has encrusted, and I can see a new wave of fresh scarlet liquid about to come, with only one piece of delicate skin to get through. Tobias raises a finger, shaking slightly, and touches it gently. I draw my breath in sharply, and he pulls his finger away quickly.

'Sorry,' he says, brushing a stray hair from my eye. I smile. 'Here, take this,'

He reaches over to the mantelpiece, retrieving a small glass vile holding a bright pink liquid.

'What is it?'

'Pain killer for bigger wounds then something like a headache – one of the nicer Erudite gave it to me,'

He pours it into my mouth and I swallow, wrinkling my nose in disgust at the foul, bitter taste. The effect is instant – pain ebbs away fast as water gushing down a waterfall. I grin.

'Better?' he asks. I nod.

'What do we do?' I ask, 'What's going on? How come Eric's alive?'

Tobias goes pale.

'I've no idea how Eric's alive. I shot him – been living with that guilt for three years,'

'Guilt? After all he did to us?'

Tobias shrugs.

'I don't know…I have nightmares about it every night, it's weird. All this time I'd wanted him dead, but I hadn't meant it. I just wanted him to change – to be gone, but not dead,'

'I understand. I still can't get over Will. It's like the people you kill haunt you like the rest of your life,'

Tobias nods, his eyes distant.

'So what do we do?' I ask, softly. Tobias frowns.

'We need to find people – the Erudite on our side, the Candor no our side…the Dauntless who're with us too. You reckon the Amity would do it?'

'Probably. All they want is peace – to be happy.'

'True…let's talk to them. Are you okay to stand?'

'I'm fine,'

He nods, taking my hand. We walk out of the room and into the dimly lit corridor.

'So how did you escape?' I ask as we go up the stairs two at a time.

'Eric left to get something – I don't know what. I heard something about an injection,' he shrugs, 'anyway, turns out the only guard left on duty to me was a spy for our side,' he grins, 'she showed me a way round the back, and I went to the border of Erudite – they made this sort of boundary that you can't get past…'

I nod,

'Yeah, I know. I got to that part too,'

'Anyway, so I banged into it, and then these Amity people appeared. I guess that's what happened to you?'

'Yeah,'

We have reached the top of the stairs now, and I follow Tobias along a short corridor. It has a glass roof, sunlight pouring in. A blue tit is in the process of building a nest, swooping back and forth with bits of feather and twig. Three tiny ones – the blue tit's babies – are jumping near the half completed nest, chirping merrily.

'They're not going to be grateful at the fact that we're dragging them into all this,'

I jump, having momentarily forgotten Tobias was here.

'Yeah, I know,'

We step out into the Amity meeting room, to be faced with Elizabeth. She looks angry, her face scarlet, shining with sweat. I frown, confused.

'Go. Leave, now. Eric wishes to see you.'

I back away, and Tobias pushes me behind his back. I step forward, and Tobias does a minute shake of the head.

'Eric? How do you know?'

'He is me. I am him. He has been kind to me. I owe him my life.'

She speaks in a low, monotone voice, her eyes cold.

'What? Please, we need to speak to the rest of Amity.'

'You cannot. They do not wish to see you. Eric does.'

'We'll see Eric if you let us speak to Amity,' says Tobias. I chew the inside of my cheek. Seeing Eric voluntarily is the last thing I want to do. Elizabeth purses her lips, and twists around to face the wall behind her. The air around there is shimmering, as though a heat wave has washed over that patch. My eyes widen as the air swirls, blowing up dust and causing the lights to flicker. A face is forming slowly, and then hands and a body appear too. The man who has appeared brushes his trousers lightly, a smirk painted upon his face.

'Fancy seeing you here, Tobias and Tris! Together again I see – how sweet,' says Eric.

Tobias glances at me and mouths one single word.

Run.


End file.
